Pinkerton Academy in Derry to host Southern New Hampshire College Fair

By HUNTER McGEEUnion Leader CorrespondentApril 09. 2014 8:02PMDERRY - Thousands of students and parents from throughout the area will get a chance to meet with representatives from 140 colleges Thursday during the Southern New Hampshire College Fair at Pinkerton Academy.One of the biggest in the state, the college fair is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Students from many high schools throughout the area will be attending, said Director of Guidance Jan Deleault.From the cost of tuition to the average class size, prospective college students will likely have a lot of questions for the representatives. To help guide them during the fair, students will be handed a packet that has a list of questions they can ask as they move from table to table, Deleault said. Students will typically be interested in learning about admission requirements, what colleges are known for in terms of majors, and early admission deadlines, Deleault said.Class size is also important as most students don't want to be in a class with more than 100 students, she said.

'That's important for them,' Deleault said. 'First year classes can be very large.'

Other topics of interest include the type of programs that are available to help students adjust to college life and the type of activities that are planned for the weekends.'The big question is what type of things are going on during the weekends,' she said.

Knowing how many students go home from a college on weekends is also important, she added.

Students also frequently ask about the population of a school. For instance, if they are coming from Pinkerton, they sometimes can't see themselves at a tiny college.With the high cost of tuition at four-year colleges, many students are opting to go to a community college for their first few years.

'They can live at home and transfer pretty seamlessly in New Hampshire, and even to other places, and sometimes save a bundle that way,' she said.